The Nine Lives of Christmas
by Grissom
Summary: --Story Complete— When Grissom finds a surprise package on his doorstep, he feels lost until Sara comes to show him the way, though greater forces may be at work.


**The Nine Lives of Christmas**

**By Grissom**

**12-22-04**

**A/N: As always, a big thanks to Grissomgal71 for her great beta job. Her comments always make my day! And I must also thank my cats for letting me reuse their names. My little way of thanking them for all of their companionship…and embarrassing them for all of the times they've chewed on my stuff. Anyway! I hope you enjoy! And Happy Holidays to all!**

Grissom groaned and leaned his face into his hand, staring at the red lights that sat in front of him. His eyes flicked down to the digital clock on the dash, then back at the unmoving cars before him.

_Twenty minutes…and I've moved all of ten feet_, he thought bitterly to himself. His gaze went to the switch that triggered the flashers on the SUV and smiled to himself. While he would never do it in reality, it was always a fun thought. But now, even if he did turn them on, he doubted anyone would pay attention. The Christmas fever had infected everyone's minds. It made even the most rational person a raving lunatic.

And this was Christmas Eve, when the amount of 'stupid' hit an all-time high. There were fathers sent out by mothers to pick up a last minute turkey or various items for Christmas dinner, frantic shoppers out to find that one last item that they really didn't need, and children pressing their snotty noses against the windows of every toy store in town, screaming about how they just _had _to have a certain toy.

Bored, and knowing that the line wasn't going to move any time soon, Grissom reached down and turned on the radio, thinking maybe he could find an upbeat classical rock song or something. At the first station he turned to, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" flooded the SUV. He grimaced and turned the station. Station after station, all he could find was Christmas music. Paul McCartney filled the vehicle on one station, and Grissom's hands fumbled over the buttons in his haste to get the obnoxious song out of his speakers. It seemed that the only station _not_ playing holiday music was the local rap station, and that wouldn't work for him either.

He sighed and leaned forward, letting his head rest on the steering wheel after turning the radio off again. He didn't hate the holidays…he just didn't want to be reminded of them every time he turned around.

A rap on his window startled him, and he jumped, causing the horn to honk. He flushed and turned to see who had bothered him.

The dark skinned man on the other side on the glass put a hand to his hat in a respectful gesture, and Grissom rolled his window down a little bit. "Yeah?" he asked irritably.

"Pardon the interruption, sir. But I'm collecting money for the First Baptist Church on Fremont Street. See…it's the holiday season, and some of our members, they haven't had such a good year. So we's trying to get some money to help them have a nice holiday. So…you got any spare change?"

Fleetingly, Grissom thought of saying no, just to make the man go away. But he saw how the man's eyes were fixed on the cup holder, nearly filled with assorted coins. He sighed and tried not to let his irritation show, reaching to scoop out a handful of the money. He dumped it into the man's bucket and gave him a fake grin.

The man smiled earnestly in return, tipping his hat. "Thank you, sir. May God bless you on this wonderful day." His eyes narrowed a little bit and his smile deepened. "I see he's got some great gifts planned for you!"

Before Grissom could ask the man what he was talking about, he stepped away, already headed for the poor schmuck behind Grissom's SUV. Grissom stared after him for a few minutes, then saw that the car in front of him had magically moved. To avoid getting obscene gestures and words thrown his way, he released the brake and inched his way home.

It only took him fifteen more minutes to reach his townhouse once the traffic started moving, though he did witness two fender benders on the way. Had they been something serious, he would have delayed his mission home and gone to help, but the men involved were already out and screaming at each other. Grissom assumed they were fine and kept going.

He parked in his usual spot, reaching to grab a folder from the passenger's seat before getting out. He locked the vehicle, then froze when the turned towards the building.

He could see the windows to his living room from where he stood, but it was the man on a ladder that caught his attention. He stepped up to the bottom of the ladder and looked up, tapping his fist on a bottom rung.

The man looked down at him, and Grissom recognized him as Robert Hansen from the bottom floor. Hansen smiled and waved, before wavering on the ladder and grabbing a hold for dear life.

"Merry Christmas, Gil!" he shouted.

"You too, but what are you doing?"

Hansen held out a string of Christmas lights for Grissom to see. "Decorating for ya. Everyone else has theirs up, we figured you was just too busy. Wouldn't look right for one part to be Christmas-free."

Grissom had to consciously tell himself to close his mouth as he ran Hansen's words through his mind. Technically, what Hansen was doing was illegal. He had no permission to go anywhere near Grissom's property, much less to put up annoying Christmas lights. But even Grissom didn't have the heart to even ponder taking legal action. Instead, he waved a hand dismissively and continued his trek.

He finally reached his front door, immediately noticing the cardboard box that sat on his doormat. He frowned, then figured that it was probably a late gift from his mother. One of her usual sweaters that didn't fit…

But when he stepped up to the box, something inside moved and made a weird noise. Grissom jumped and instinctively took a step backwards. After a long moment of nothing, he stepped forward and kneeled down. Carefully, he peeled the tape away.

Something dark and fuzzy poked its head out of the opening, and it took Grissom a moment to figure out what it was. A kitten…

He made a face and opened the box the rest of the way. Inside were two kittens. One orange and white and one calico. Both were fuzzy and no more than six weeks old. They mewed softly and tried to claw their way out of their cardboard prison. The calico was the first one to get out, and Grissom carefully picked it up. It wriggled in his hand, crying out, but simply shook its head and tried to escape again when Grissom put it back into the box.

Grissom looked around helplessly, then stood up to unlock his door while still watching the furry animals closely. He pushed the door open and scooped up the box, gently folding the cardboard tabs over to hinder the kittens' escape.

Once inside, he kicked the door shut and made his way to the guest bathroom, the only small room he could keep the animals inside. He stepped in and set the box down before going out again.

Once outside, he leaned his back against the door and took a moment to assess his situation. Someone, in the time since he'd left for work, had dumped two young kittens off on his doorstep. He glanced at his watch. Animal Control would be closed now, if it had even been open at all. And those places, he knew, usually stayed closed for a few days after the holidays as well. So he had to keep the kittens until then.

_Aye…and there's the rub_, he thought to himself. It had been years since he'd owned a cat, and seriously doubted that he had much in his house that would work for taking care of the animals. And he wasn't brave enough to venture out into the traffic madhouse.

He stepped into his kitchen, throwing open cabinets as he searched for anything that he could feed them. His eyes fell on the dog food he kept for his roaches and after pondering for a moment, he pulled it out. Then he spotted a few small cans in the back of one cabinet. He grabbed them and read the labels. _Dolphin Safe tuna…_He seriously doubted that the cats would care whether it was dolphin safe or not, but he knew that they would enjoy the food.

He pulled out two small bowls, filling one with water from the sink, and filling the other with a mixture of dog food and tuna. The smell was horrible, but Grissom had smelled worse things while on the job. The two bowls precariously balanced in his hands, he went back to the bathroom and struggled with the door for a moment before getting it open.

Before he could do anything, the orange and white kitten darted out between his feet. He cursed to himself and quickly put the bowls down before rushing out after the small critter. After much searching, he found it crouched by his couch. As he approached it, the kitten pounced and attacked the laces on his shoes. Even Grissom couldn't help but smile.

He reached down and picked the kitten up, holding it against his chest as he had often seen children do. The kitten didn't struggle, but closed its eyes and began to purr as Grissom stroked its small body. He went back to the bathroom and slid inside, releasing the kitten onto the floor. At first the cat looked offended, but it smelled the food and went to join its sibling in making a mess on the floor.

Grissom watched them devour the odd mixture of food for a moment before slipping out. He sank onto his couch and grabbed a pad and pen, making a list of things that he would need to get. Even though he wasn't planning on keeping the kittens, he didn't think they should have to live on stale dog food and old tuna. Then a thought hit him, and he was out of the door before remembering to grab his jacket.

Robert Hansen seemed very surprised to see a red-faced Grissom on the other side of his door. He glanced at the man's short-sleeved polo, then ushered him inside. "What can I do for you, Gil? Something wrong with the lights? 'Cause I'll take em down if you want me to."

Grissom shook his head and tried to stop shivering. "No, they're fine. I just needed to ask you a favor."

Hansen raised his eyebrows. Gil Grissom hardly ever spoke to anyone…so why would he need a favor? "Try me."

"You have a cat, right?"

"Yeah…" Hansen said slowly, ready to say no if Grissom mentioned the words 'case' or 'experiment'.

"Well, someone decided to drop off two kittens on my doorstep this morning, and I have nothing for them. I was wondering if you had some food or something I could use. I'll pay you back for it."

Hansen's face lit up in a smile. "Oh, that's great, Gil! Cats are really wonderful pets, you know. C'mon," he said, motioning for Grissom to follow as he went towards his kitchen.

As Grissom followed, he couldn't help but study Hansen's home. It was so different from his own. Not only the layout, but the atmosphere. Where Grissom's home was impersonal and filled with bugs, Hansen's was very light and cheerful, photos of his family filling the walls. The brightly lit Christmas tree in one corner only added to the lightness of the home.

"Here we go," Hansen said, pulling out a plastic tub. "We stuck all of Wally's stuff in here after he started ripping his cat food bags open." He laughed and pulled the lid off, digging through for a few minutes. He handed Grissom an unopened green bag. "You can have that, and don't worry about paying me back. Wally's outgrown that stuff, and it'd only make him fat."

"Kitten food," Grissom muttered to himself. Then he shrugged and readied himself to thank Hansen and leave, but the other man wasn't through yet. He pulled out a small cloth bag.

"These things are great." He pulled one of the items out. To Grissom, it looked like a brightly colored, fuzzy mouse. "Wally loves these things. He'd chase them for hours if he wasn't so lazy. We've got plenty; you can have these." Then Hansen frowned and looked up at Grissom. "Dumped off on your doorstep, right?"

Grissom nodded. "In a cardboard box."

"Ah…so you'll probably need to worm them. All kittens have worms, and if they were just dumped off like that, it's doubtful that the previous owners took care of them." Hansen pulled out a small plastic bottle and poured out a few tablets. "How big are they?"

"Tiny. About six weeks old, I think."

"Oh…" He poured all but one of the tablets back into the bottle. "Here. It's Drontal. Over-all dewormer. Give a half to each of the kittens. Now, you may see some little wormies in their stool, but don't worry. Better out than in."

Grissom made a face and pocketed the tablet. "Right…" He looked down at the items. "Thanks a lot, Robert. I appreciate it."

"No problem, Gil. Just let us know how the little guys do. I'd offer to take them for you, but my wife would go nuts."

* * *

For the fifth time that day, Grissom winced as small, sharp claws dug into his skin.

"Ow!" he shouted, biting back the many obscenities that came to mind. He looked down at his hand, seeing the angry red wound running across his palm. Then he looked down at the offending kitten, who was already rubbing against his leg.

Frustrated, Grissom threw the soggy half-tablet into a disposable cup and stormed out of the bathroom, careful not to close a kitten in the door as he shut it. He made his way to the kitchen, where he began a fruitless search for a Band-Aid.

Just when he had located the elusive box, there was a knock on his door. He bit back yet another string of explicit phrases and went to the door, throwing it open briskly.

He was surprised to see an equally shocked Sara Sidle standing on the other side. She held a file in her hands, but seemed to have forgotten about it for the time being. Instead, her eyes wandered over Grissom, seeing his bleeding hand and the fresh holes in his shirt. She raised her eyebrows.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Grissom scoffed and stepped to the side to allow Sara to enter. She found this a little odd, but then again, Grissom did seem rather preoccupied. She stepped inside, and he shut the door behind her before going back to his kitchen.

"I wanted to bring you the results Mia got from that knife you found at the scene," she explained, holding up the file.

He nodded, carefully applying the Band-Aid to his broken skin. "What did she get?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Well…" Sara flipped open the folder. "There were two donors on that knife. One matches our vic, the other is male with seven allele markers in common."

"So…we're looking for a close family relative. And since the father is dead, that puts the brother in the spotlight, doesn't it?" he asked rhetorically, smiling.

She watched as he applied another Band-Aid to a scratch on his forearm. "Grissom…" she began, unsure if she wanted to invade his privacy. "What happened to you? One of your pets get angry at you?"

He smirked. "I guess you could say that." He jerked his head towards the hallway. "Second door on the right," he said.

Sara stared at him for a moment before slowly making her way into the hall. If one of Grissom's many-legged friends was on the attack, did she really want to walk right into its lair? But her curiosity won out in the end, and she slowly pushed the door open.

At first, all she saw was a clean countertop and a mirror. _A bathroom_, she told herself, though that revelation did nothing to solve the mystery. It was only when she stepped inside did she understand what was going on.

The kittens were sitting on the edge of the bathtub, staring at her with wide, blue eyes as she stepped inside. They regarded her warily until she sat down next to the tub, and then they mewed and made their way over to her. The orange and white one leapt onto her stomach, while the calico sniffed her shoes. She laughed and scratched the orange kitten behind the ears, watching as it closed its eyes and leaned into her hand.

She glanced up when the door opened and Grissom stepped inside. He seemed a little surprised to see her settled on the floor, but masked it. She grinned at him. "Grissom, they're adorable. Where did you get them?"

"Let's just say a little elf thought I wanted an early Christmas gift," he said, nodding towards the cardboard box.

"Oh…" Sara said, understanding. Then she turned her attention back to the kittens. The orange one was content to sit on her lap, but the calico seemed to want Grissom. Sara was a little surprised when he picked it up gently and sat down beside her.

"Do they have names?" she asked.

Grissom shook his head. "I've had them for all of two hours, Sara. I don't even know if they're male or female."

"Well, that one's a girl," she said, pointing to the calico. "All calico – three colored – cats are females. And this one," she picked up the orange one and turned it around, "is a little boy."

Grissom smiled. "That settles it."

Sara smiled back. "So, do you want to name them?"

Grissom shrugged. "I wasn't exactly planning on keeping them, you know. They were kind of a surprise, and the animal shelter isn't open."

Sara grimaced. "You wouldn't want to send these little guys to the shelter. They're too young for shots, and shelters are notorious for spreading things like upper respiratory infections."

Grissom raised an eyebrow. "And you know this because…"

"I read." She looked at Grissom's hands. "So what were you doing to them to make them do that to you?"

Grissom flexed his hands for a moment and reached back onto the counter for the cup. He picked out one of the moist tablet chunks. "I was trying to deworm them, but they won't cooperate." He smiled at her questioning gaze. "My neighbor gave me some friendly advice," he explained.

"Oh…Well, you're supposed to grab them by the scruff and shove it down their throat."

Grissom frowned. "Seems a little mean."

"Not really. Here, let me see." She took one of the tablets from Grissom, then grasped the extra skin behind the male kitten's neck. His mouth opened a little, and Sara quickly put the pill deep into his mouth. She released his neck, and held his mouth closed while rubbing his throat. After a moment, she let go, and though the kitten worked his mouth, no tablet came back out. Sara gave Grissom a cocky smile. "Your turn."

With a shake of his head, Grissom attempted to repeat what Sara had done. It took him two tries, but finally he got the calico to swallow the pill. He smiled at himself. "And where did you learn that skill?" he asked her.

"Well, as a kid. We had cats around the B&B, and I was the one appointed to give them their medicine. You pick up things along the years, besides scars."

* * *

An hour later, Grissom and Sara were standing in his kitchen, ripping newspaper into thin strips to be used as kitty litter. It was yet another 'trick' Sara had learned during her cat-caring years, and she had kindly passed it on to Grissom before one of the kittens decided to hide their mess in a corner.

Sara paused for a moment to look at her blackening fingers. Then she looked up at Grissom, who seemed lost in thought as he ripped paper. "So, Grissom, what are you doing tomorrow? Christmas day…any plans?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Usually I go to my mother's, but she decided this year to take a cruise with some old friends of hers. So…maybe I'll sleep in, catch some specials on the Discovery Channel. You?"

"I'll probably check in with the lab and see if there's anything new there." She froze when she felt Grissom's gaze on her. "What?"

He sighed. "Sara, I gave you the day off for a reason. Take a break for once. Who knows, you may enjoy it. Watch a parade on TV or something."

She scoffed. "By myself? No thank you." She shredded another paper, with much more force than was necessary.

Grissom stared at her for a long moment, trying to force his mind to make a decision. Finally, it did. "Sara…" he said softly. "Would you like…to come and watch the parade with me?" _Oh yeah, great excuse, Gil,_ his mind berated him. He told it to shut up.

She studied him a moment, then allowed a small smile to cross her lips. "Sure, Grissom. I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

* * *

Another hour later, Sara was gathering up the papers from her file. It was getting late and, oddly, she was tired. She couldn't wait to crawl underneath her pile of blankets and fall asleep…Of course, she was sure that Grissom…She shook her head, getting the unbidden thoughts out of her head. After all of her papers were together, she snuck a glance at the bathroom door.

Unable to resist the urge, she slipped inside. The kittens were asleep in their cardboard box, curled up with each other and the towel that Grissom had put inside. The orange male looked up at her with one eye, then yawned widely before closing his eye again. Sara smiled, and ran her fingers over the top of his small head. She gazed at him for a long moment before standing up and stepping out. She sighed and leaned against the door.

Grissom stepped out of his bedroom, pulling a worn UCLA sweatshirt over his head. He studied her, his expression concerned. "Something wrong, Sara?"

She shook her head quickly. "No. I'm fine. So…I'll see you tomorrow about noon?"

He nodded. "Sure. That's when all the parades start." _Riiight…parades_, his mind interrupted again.

"Okay then. I'll see you!" Sara said cheerfully, then left after shooting him a wide smile.

Grissom stared at the closed door for a moment, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

Sara rubbed her hands together and knocked on the door again. When the door still remained shut, she began to second-guess herself. Had Grissom really been serious when he invited her over?

She was just going over a million equally embarrassing situations in her mind when the door slowly opened, revealing Grissom dressed in the same UCLA sweatshirt from the night before and a pair of jeans.

He smiled at her and opened it wider. "Sorry. I was a little busy."

She returned the grin. "That's fine," she replied, reaching down to pick up the box she'd brought with her.

Grissom eyed it suspiciously. "Not more kittens, right?"

She laughed. "No, Grissom, it's not. Don't worry. I just…brought some stuff for lunch. I figured we could have some kind of Christmas dinner. Pretend we're normal for a little while."

"Oh…well, I'd already made some stuff," he said, indicating his kitchen with his hand. She stepped forward and studied the plastic bowls for a moment. There were all of the basic vegetables for a holiday dinner, rolls, and stuffing still in the pot. She looked at him quizzically. He scratched the back of his head. "I woke up kind of early this morning, so I got a head start. So much for sleeping in."

"Tell me about it."

"I've got some fish in the oven. I didn't think you ate turkey, so I thought we could try fish. You do eat fish, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I eat fish. But where on earth…"

He smirked. "I have connections. Even if they're not happy with me when I call in a favor at six in the morning Christmas day." He looked at her box. "What did you bring?"

"Um…well. I brought a pecan pie, not homemade, mind you. And some…tofu turkey." She blushed a little at Grissom's smirk. "It's not that bad!"

"I'm sure it's not. You can just set it down on the counter. I'll get to it later."

* * *

Grissom yawned as yet another cartoon-themed float filled his television screen, screaming kids rushing to get closer to one of their heroes. He glanced at Sara, surprised to see that she seemed fascinated by what she saw.

They'd eaten their fill of food after everything had been cooked or warmed. Grissom had to admit, while the tofu was nothing like real turkey, it wasn't as repulsive as he'd figured it to be. He did, however, manage to eat more of everything else. After eating, Sara had helped him clean up the kitchen, singing quietly to herself. Grissom had said nothing, instead letting her voice fill his ears.

He smiled and stood up from the couch, getting a confused look from Sara. "I'll be right back," he said, then disappeared into the hallway. Sara shrugged to herself and went back to the parade, which she actually found very boring. But watching it with Grissom made it tolerable.

Grissom returned a moment later with a small box in his hands, a bright bow on the top. Sara stared at him incredulously as he sat down next to her again, holding the box out to her.

"Grissom…you shouldn't…"

He smiled. "Trust me. It was nothing major."

She gave him a smile, then proceeded to pull the ribbon off the box, noting that there were holes in the side, though she didn't dare peek inside. When she pulled the top off, she saw a familiar orange and white ball of fur, only this time with a red bow around his neck.

She smiled and pulled the kitten out of the box, holding him close. She turned to Grissom, who shrugged.

"I noticed how much you seemed to like him. And I checked, your apartment allows cats. I thought you would enjoy some company."

"Grissom…" She was suddenly unable to tell him how much she appreciated his thoughtfulness. So instead, she shifted the kitten and threw her arms around him.

Grissom froze when he felt her arms wrap around his body, and it took him a moment to return the gesture. Then he relaxed, feeling as though a puzzle piece had finally fallen into place. Truth be told, he felt a little empty when she pulled away. This was quickly eradicated when she kissed his cheek.

"Thank you so much, Grissom." She _was_ very touched with his gift. It was true, she had very much fallen for the little kitten, and had been preparing herself for a broken heart when Grissom took him and his sister to the animal shelter. And for Grissom to see how much she adored the kitten and to check that pets were allowed at her apartment, it spoke volumes for her. She turned back to the sleepy kitten. "Does he have a name yet?"

Grissom smiled and nodded. "You can change it if you want, but I've been calling him Max. And that," he nodded towards the dark blur that had pounced on a toy mouse in the kitchen, "is Hannah."

"You're keeping her?"

"Yes. I thought that if Max could have a wonderful home, his sister deserved one too." He reached out a finger to pet Max's head. "And…I'm sure they would like it if Max came over to visit every once in a while."

Sara searched his eyes and smiled, knowing that there was much more involved than the kitten. "He would like that very much. He'll be here."

* * *

Sara yawned and couldn't prevent the smile from crossing her face as she studied her situation. The parade was over, and had been for hours. Grissom had fallen asleep about two-thirds into it, and Sara had soon followed. And somehow, Sara had ended up leaning against Grissom, with his arm draped around her. Hannah had curled up on Grissom's lap, while Max was stretched out against Sara's leg.

It was all so peaceful, and it all felt so right. Sara was still smiling as she snuggled up against Grissom, falling asleep within minutes.

* * *

The dark-skinned man smiled as he gazed up at the window, now adorned with colorful Christmas lights. He laughed and tipped his hat to the occupants.

"Four lost souls find homes. Great gifts, sir. Great gifts indeed," he said quietly. Then he turned and disappeared into the wind.

**END**

**Feedback much appreciated.**


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